Vehicle seat assemblies are sometimes provided with a seatback that also functions as a partition wall between a passenger compartment in the front of the vehicle and a luggage compartment in the rear of the vehicle. A vehicle seat device of such description is disclosed in JP-A S61-57436 and JP-A 2007-50815.
The vehicle seat assembly disclosed in JP-A S61-57436 has a seat and side supports that can support the side portions of the torso of an occupant sitting in the seat. The seat has a seat cushion and a seatback that can be moved to a position that, relative to the seat cushion, is upright or tilted forward. The side supports are positioned on the lateral surfaces of the seatback when the seatback is in the upright position, and are held in that position regardless of whether the position of the seatback is changed. A locking device is positioned on the rear side of the seatback in order to keep the seatback in the upright position.
The vehicle seat assembly disclosed in JP-A 2007-50815 has a seat and a flip-up mechanism for flipping up a seat cushion of the seat. The seat has a seat cushion and a seatback that can be moved to a position that, relative to the seat cushion, is upright or tilted forward. The flip-up mechanism is provided with a locking mechanism for keeping the seat cushion from swinging up. The lock mechanism is connected to an operating lever via an operating cable. The operating cable is divided into two sections that are connected by a connector. The operating lever is positioned so as to be set apart from the seat. Releasing the operating lever causes the lock mechanism to be released via the operating cable, whereupon the flip-up mechanism causes the seat cushion to flip up and forward. The seatback tilts forward in association with the flipping-up action of the seat cushion.
In the vehicle seat assemblies disclosed in JP-A S61-57436 and JP-A 2007-50815, typically, the lower portion of the seatback is foldably and erectably supported by a bracket. The seat is also provided with a spring for urging the seatback in the forward-tilting direction in order to enable the seatback to be readily tilted forward. It is desirable for an occupant to be able to sit comfortably in the seat over long periods of time despite the presence of the bracket and the spring. The bracket and spring are preferably installed in appropriate positions in the seat cushion and the seatback in order to improve the degree of comfort provided by the seat. For example, merely by having the spring provided in the back of the seatback, an occupant seated in the seat will feel pressure from the spring in their back through the seatback. The thickness of the seatback must be increased in order to prevent the occupant from feeling the pressure. It is also preferable for the bracket and spring to be hard to see when viewed from the exterior in order to enhance the outer appearance of the seat assembly.
In the vehicle seat assembly disclosed in JP-A 2007-50815, the operating cable and the connector are preferably not visible from the exterior in order to enhance the outer appearance of the seat. Measures need to taken so that the operating cable does not interfere with the seatback when the seatback is tilted up or down. There may also be instances in which an electrical component (such as an electric heater) is provided to the seat cushion and the seatback. Measures must be taken so that the operating cable and the electrical cables connected to the electrical component do not interfere with each other.
There is accordingly a need for a technique allowing the seat comfort to be increased while the outer appearance of the seat assembly is enhanced.
There is also a need for a technique whereby the operating cable via which the lock mechanism is released by the operating lever does not interfere with the seatback when the seatback is tilted up or down.
There is yet also a need for a technique whereby the operating cable and electrical cables do not interfere with each other when the seatback is tilted up or down.